


The Divine Right of Queens

by bottleofcasgrace



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Also The Dress, Because We Needed One, Even Though It's Cliche, F/F, Royalty AU, We Didn't Have One
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-05-05 10:19:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5371697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bottleofcasgrace/pseuds/bottleofcasgrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kira Nerys had been fighting in the resistance since she was twelve, but in the last month things had changed rapidly. Her aunt and uncle had been killed, she had been told that she was actually the princess of Bajor, and then the Cardassians had left. Her planet was now free, but she had new shackles - meetings, diplomacy, and especially one giant, fluffy, obnoxious dress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Your Highness."

Kira Nerys turned awkwardly in the huge sunset orange dress she had to wear as she caught sight of the Bajorans who had come up to her in the corridor. She felt silly in the large monstrosity, when she could see the clothes the Bajorans wore were barely scraps. Her ear felt heavy, she was unused to the large ceremonial earring that was attached to her ear, but she could also see the hope and excitement in their eyes when they saw her. It was a family – three young daughters, probably five or six, and another two toddlers hand in hand with the father. No mother, not that that was unusual. Sinking to her knees, trying to get to the level of the young girls, she smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“What’re your names?” she asked the young girls, taking in their damp, just cleaned hair.

“’M Kers, ‘nd this is Peda ‘nd Puruu,” the one on the farthest left said to her, smiling happily as she introduced her sisters. “’nd Lohh and Kuro ‘re my brothers. My dad said you’re our Princess, is that true?”

Nerys nodded seriously, feeling uncomfortable at the title. She’d only been called a princess for the last two weeks, only been one for a month, really. “Your dad’s right. Are you going back to the planet now?” One look at the father - his hands stained, back hunched - confirmed he’d been working in the ore processing plant, and given the opportunity, she couldn’t blame him. She’d been here working in the plant during the Occupation for a short time, and she’d tried to get out as fast as possible.

“Yup,” the talkative one said. “We’re gonna go live with Oma, she lives on a farm!” Nerys smiled, happy that they would have free space to run around after being cooped up on a station for a long time and the middle one held out her hand to her, which she shook with gravity.

“I hope that you have fun on the farm, but don’t forget to help out your dad. You don’t want him to do too much of the work!” she said, and went to shake the other girls hands. Instead of shaking them, however, the other two girls ran at her and gave her a hug, which the third then joined. She hugged them back then moved away slightly. Smiling, she stood up, leaning over the youngsters to shake the father’s hand.

“Rimur Kinon, your Highness,” he said bowing his head.

“I wish you luck with raising all of these children, they seem like good kids,” she said, and he smiled at her, looking down at his kids lovingly. “And good luck farming.”

“Thank you very much. And thank you, for your help in the Resistance,” Rimur said, clasping her hand with both of his, before she heard a grunt behind her.

“Sorry to interrupt, your Highness,” Rimur said, as Nerys turned to head to see her chief of security, Odo, at the entrance to the corridor.

“Do well in school,” she said to the girls, “and may the Prophets lead you.”

The family waved as they walked away, to a transport back to the surface she was sure, and Nerys turned towards Odo, relaxing as much as the corset she had to wear under this thing would let her.

“You did quite well,” he told her, and she closed her eyes and shook her head.

“The kids were cute, but I’m used to shooting Cardassians, not talking and cleaning up their messes,” Nerys said, taking a breath before pulling herself straight. “How long until the Federation ship arrives?”

“Another thirty minutes to an hour,” he said, leading her down another corridor. “If you’d like to send a message to his Majesty…?” He trailed off, and she sighed.

“No, Reon has enough to think about right now. Besides, there’s nothing to update him on here, other than I strongly disagree with this dress.”

“It’s traditional to meet visiting ambassadors in the traditional Bajoran clothes,” Odo reminded her.

“Odo, you’re not even a Bajoran, remind me why you know so much about the facts of our traditions?” she asked him teasingly as they stepped into a turbolift, Nerys turning around, hoping that every piece of the skirt was inside the lift before it started moving. He looked at her exasperated and she laughed. “I know, I know. The Cardassians might have trusted you, but you didn’t trust them.”

“And besides, your brother sent me some of the information I would need when you informed him that I would be your chief of security,” Odo said. “You can go back to your rooms, if you’d like?”

Nerys shook her head. “No, take me to Ops. I want to see how thoroughly the Cardassians destroyed the system before they left.”

Odo nodded. “You’re not a soldier anymore, though. You’re supposed to be a princess.”

“I wasn’t raised a princess, Odo, you know that. Besides, I was never supposed to be one anyway. I killed Cardassians just like the rest of the Resistance,” Nerys replied shaking her head. “Once I’m allowed out of this dress, I’m going back into the Militia uniform just like everyone else.”

“Ah yes, and what’s your rank going to be?” Odo said snarkily.

“Major. Major Kira Nerys,” she replied. In co-command of a Cardassian station, Prophets help her. “And I want you in charge of Station Security. No matter what the Federation says.”

Odo looked at her in surprise, the place where his eyebrows would be if he had them going up.

“I’m supposed to be in charge of your security.”

Kira walked out into Ops, dipping her head as everyone stopped what they were doing to give her slight bows or curtseys. She nodded back at them smiling tightly, before moving up to the office of the former Prefect of Bajor. Gul Dukat. She hated the man, but he wouldn’t be returning to it. It wasn’t his office anymore.

“As you were,” she said, before walking up the steps and entering the room, moving to sit behind the desk and work at the tablets there. Odo stood questioningly at the door, but she just waved her hand at him.

“Odo, we both know that you’re too good to just be worrying about me. Despite which, we also know that I’ve been fighting since I was twelve and I can shoot a gun better than half of the people on this station. You’d be much better suited to deal with the station’s security, and you’ll keep me safe by keeping the station safe,” Nerys told him.

“Are you certain that’s wise?"

“Yes. And if you keep the station's security up, there's no reason for you to be any more worried about me than anyone else on this station.

“Besides, despite the fact that I’m apparently in this monstrous dress, it’s traditional for at least one person from the royal family to be in the military. Might as well be me - prophets know that Pohl wasn’t ever going to get his nose out of a book.”

Odo frowned, but said nothing else, and Kira turned towards the computer, which was frizzing slightly, but it was possible she could get it fixed enough to establish a -

The computer shot sparks out at her, which caught onto one of her petticoats as she moved backwards. The flimsy fabric caught fire, before Kira slammed a hand on it to put it out. Odo raced towards her, but she waved him away. Wincing slightly, Kira felt the skin bubble a little bit, but when she removed her hand, there was only a small hole in the petticoat. Although her hand was red, the pain was manageable.

“I guess the fire suppression system doesn’t work anymore - that needs to be our first item to fix,” Kira said, as Odo - wearing concern as best he could - looked at her hand.

“Perhaps we should go to the pharmacy, and then - ” Odo said, as Kira shook her head.

“I’ll be fine, let’s just go to the docking bay - there are less sparks there, and it takes me forever to get around in this dress.”

Odo acquiesced, leading the way out of the office with a meaningful walk, Kira walking just as purposefully behind him, despite the additional layers and restricting formal wear.

* * *

 

Benjamin Sisko was taller than Kira had imagined. She was by no means short, but Sisko towered over her, the same height as Odo, in fact, and had a presence that demanded respect. In a way, Kira was furious at him. He was one of the reasons that Cardassia had been able to be in charge of Bajor for so long, his _Federation_ utterly okay with the total subjugation of her people, but Reon had told her she _must_ remain calm, that this unstable partnership with the Federation was what they needed, and while she tried to get him to see reason - the Cardassians had said the exact same thing - he was unswayable, and, some small part of Kira she didn’t like to acknowledge agreed - he was probably right. If this didn’t end up as another occupation (and it _wouldn’t._ Kira was on the station for that exact reason. She could take him out single handed if she needed to.), then Bajor would need all the help it could get. Reon had underlined the necessity for diplomacy, and Kira had agreed.

“Commander Sisko, welcome to Deep Space Nine, on behalf of King Reon, lord of Kendra and Duke of Poli. May the Prophets bless our meeting, that we may have understanding and peace,” Kira recited, curtsying as the boning in the corset dug into her chest when she had attempted to bow.

Sisko bowed to her, the two Starfleet officers behind him bowing at the exact same time. “On behalf of the United Federation of Planets, we thank you for your hospitality, and hope that together we can find a way to bring Bajor back to its former glory.”

Kira nodded. “As you may be able to see, the Cardassians,” here she spit the word, “have left the station in a state of disrepair. Most of the main systems are offline, including the fire suppression system that was installed on the higher decks. Life support is the main thing that hasn’t been sabotaged too much, although we are on auxiliary power.”

One of the attendants behind Sisko, whose defining colour was gold, which Kira knew meant he was in Engineering or operations or something of the sort, made a sound of annoyance, and Kira raised her eyebrow at him. “We’ve got as many engineering teams on those as we can, while the rest of the crew is on clean up in the promenade.”

Sisko nodded to her. “I’ll get as many of my crew who are qualified in engineering to help, and the rest I’ll send to the… Promenade?”

Kira nodded at him, unwilling to explain anything to this man who had probably already been given the specs of the station in his cushy chair aboard a starship. Kira stood to one side then, realizing that Odo hadn’t been introduced. “This is Odo, he’s going to be Security Chief around the station. He knows it better than anyone else.” Kira smiled slightly, with an edge to her smile she hoped. Let the impatient attendant try all he wanted, she trusted Odo to keep up with him, and better. “I’ll let him show you to Ops, Commander.”

“Of course, your Majesty,” Sisko bowed his head slightly, which Kira returned with as much grace as she could manage. The petticoats of her skirt bunched together, and she felt like ripping the entire thing off. She restrained herself, but only just. If she could only get back to her quarters, and then she could get out of the dreaded thing, and back into something she could move in, instead of this dress which severely impeded her mobility (which may have been the point at some period in history but - for a Bajoran used to hit and run missions against Cardassians - made her infinitely uncomfortable).

A final curtsy and a swish of her skirts that she silently damned to the Pah-wraiths, Kira walked away towards one of the two remaining turbolifts that worked in the station, intent on getting rid of the formal dress that made her so uncomfortable, so that she could get back to being some use on the station.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which diplomatic dinners don't go as planned.

With the discovery of the wormhole, and Kira moving the station to guard said wormhole, Bajor had jumped up from its prior place in the Alpha quadrant power list. Suddenly its placement as close to the fastest route to the Gamma Quadrant had thrust her into a much more important role than she and her brother had anticipated. Suddenly, instead of a station only requiring a Starfleet commander (even if he did end up being the Emissary), all sorts of dignitaries from all over the Alpha Quadrant were arriving.

Luckily this time, Kira had avoided being put back into the large dress she’d so despised. Each time Odo looked at her disapproving because of this, she’d shrug, noting that it still had a hole in it.

That hole was never going to be fixed as long as Kira could manage to stop Odo from finding out. If it gave her a good reason to avoid wearing the _monstrosity_ , she would thank the prophets every day.

Her hand, under the care of the Federation doctor (a young and excitable fellow who forgot her rank every time she walked in the door) had healed quickly, and she couldn’t help but wonder and wish that they could have had one of the tools he used so flippantly during the Occupation. Even one dermal regenerator could have saved lives. Unfortunately (or fortunately), he could do little for the scars she bore across her back, arms and legs. Living reminders of the Bajor she had fought for, and continued to fight for. She traced a hand across the largest, which ran from her upper left thigh, across her hip and abdomen, to her right side, the scarred tissue barely registering her touch. Pulling her power blue dress uniform over it, she worked hard to adopt a more relaxed mentality. Once she had put on the top which bore her rank and communicator pin, she absentmindedly ran a hand through her shorn hair. Here on the station, where there was easy access to hair clippers, where they weren’t kept under lock and key, or, more often – taken and engineered to hurt Cardassians, she could keep her hair as short as she wanted. She’d never been a fan of her long hair, anyway.

Reon had looked slightly disapprovingly at her hair when she’d called him last night to hear about news from the planet, but Pohl had complimented her on it, and Nerys had smiled at the normalcy.

Family meetings had always been so quiet before, but now they were filled with information to be shared, advice to be given, and political information that needed to be discussed and decided. The Vedek Assembly had agreed to move up Reon’s coronation to next month, but there was still much to be done on the planet before any coronation that the family and the assembly could agree on could occur.

Tonight’s dinner was simply for all the diplomats on board to meet together and dine. These were some of the only events that Kira enjoyed for her diplomatic status. There was little possibility of offending people, and generally she could stay mostly anonymous and in the corner, simply enjoying the food.

Tomorrow, she would have to return to the dreaded dress, despite the small hole, because one of the Trill Queens was arriving, but today she could simply be Major Kira.

A final check in the mirror at her appearance – her simple earring given to her by Lupaza replaced to its rightful spot, she tried a smile, before leaving her quarters.

Arriving at the ward room that had been repurposed for the evening, Kira entered the room surreptitiously, checking for Odo, who was certainly on duty. As she glanced around, she noticed that Odo was in conversation with one of his security deputies, and Benjamin Sisko was in conversation with a young woman with spots along the side of her face, wearing a blue Starfleet uniform. A few diplomats had arrived today from various federation planets, so it was hardly a surprise. Nodding at a few diplomats she’d spoken to from Andor and Vulcan, Kira made her way towards the buffet – a human custom where you chose your own food – to pick up a glass of synthehol, and then decide who she could easily mingle with without having to make much conversation for a few hours before she could escape to her quarters, to read a few reports before sleeping and preparing for the next day.

The Romulan Ambassador nodded to her as she made her way to the corner, but did not attempt to make further conversation, which she was glad about. Near the corner, one of the Vedeks of the station was in conversation with the Chief of Operations Miles O’Brien, a Starfleet engineer, but it appeared to be the kind of thing that Kira could listen to without being required to say much. O’Brien was a good man for that sort of thing – he understood her wish for silence at times, and respected her. Considering his history, he understood much of what Kira’s life had been like prior to the ending of the Occupation.

 Kira nodded to each of them as she approached. “Vedek Seyu, Chief O’Brien.”

“Major,” the chief replied with his odd human accent, before turning back to the Vedek, who paused a little longer.

“Your Majesty. I was just telling Chief O’Brien about the recent interpretation of the prophesies regarding the celestial temple.”

Kira raised her eyebrows slightly at this, genuinely interested. “Has something changed?”

“Indeed,” Seyu replied, launching into an explanation. Kira did her best to listen, however, her attention had been caught by the brunette Trill who had been speaking with Commander Sisko. Having now left the Commander, she appeared to be enjoying looking at the dessert portion of the buffet. Kira watched her silently for a few moments until the Trill looked up, making eye contact with her. Intelligent, piercing blue eyes caught her in a trance for a moment and then…

Hastily, Kira turned her attention back to the Vedek, noting the chief had the same glazed look that she had probably had earlier with a smile, just in time to hear him say, “So with this interpretation we can assume that the Prophets are planning on arriving soon.”

Kira did her best to look absorbed at what the Vedek had said. He, luckily, looked so enthralled with his interpretation that he had not noticed both of his audience losing attention. “I look forward to the services this week when you discuss this, Vedek.”

“Of course, of course,” he responded quite joivially, before coughing violently. Kira looked at him concerned.

“Vedek, perhaps you should go to Sick Bay and have that cough looked after. We wouldn’t want you to lose your voice,” she said soothingly.

“You are quite right, your majesty,” Seyu said, bowing slightly to her. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but just in case, I will go see one of the doctors.”

“I hope to see you at service tomorrow,” Kira said, nodding at him, before he gripped her ear.

“Your _pagh_ is strong, and you will have to trust it to follow your path,” he said, with a slight monotone, as Kira and Chief O’Brien looked at him in slight alarm.

“Perhaps I’ll take you to Sick Bay,” Kira said, as the chief nodded, but the old man shook his head quickly.

“Not to worry, I have survived through much worse, I can make it. Goodbye Chief O’Brien, Majesty.”

Kira watched him leave, noting with mild alarm that he passed directly with the Trill she’d made eye contact with, who was –

Heading directly towards her and the chief.

Kira had barely a moment to look towards O’Brien, when the Trill arrived at their corner. Her Starfleet uniform denoted her rank as Lieutenant, but the Chief stiffened up beside her, adopting a more formal posture.

“Good evening,” the trill said smiling, as she clasped her hands behind her back and nodded her head slightly.

Kira nodded in response, as the chief gave a small salute. “Lieutenant.”

The Trill laughed, a musical sound escaping her which made Kira feel weightless, even with the artificial gravity plating installed in the room. “No formalities please, I’ve heard from Benjamin you’ve been doing some amazing work on the station. A real miracle worker.”

O’Brien blushed slightly, bowing his head, but Kira wouldn’t let him get away without the true praise he deserved.

“Chief O’Brien here has been instrumental in getting the main systems up and running as well as they have been,” she said, making the Terran bluster a bit.

“It’s… I’m just doing what I’m supposed to…”

Turning to the Trill, she told her conspiringly, “Whenever the Chief leaves the station, it all seems to fall down around our ears.”

The Trill smiled, which Kira couldn’t help but return, and the chief looked bashfully at the floor. “I’ll be sure to schedule my vacations with yours then.”

Kira looked at her in interest. “Oh, are you stationed here now?”

The Trill nodded, “Yes, uh… Major? I’m sorry, I’m afraid I haven’t had much time to study the Bajoran Militia rank insignia recently.”

Kira nodded encouragingly, feeling her stomach do flips that had nothing to do with Quark’s cooking. “You may want to read up on those before your first shift then,” she responded, as the Trill took another step towards her.

The Chief looked at the two with knowing behind his eyes before he excused himself. “I think I see the Doctor, and I missed my last medical, so I’d rather not be found.”

“Of course Chief,” Kira said, as the Trill echoed the same thing.

“Goodnight Major, Lieutenant,” he said, slipping off along the wall. Kira glanced his way, and saw Odo looking at her with an appraising look, which she shrugged off.

“So are you in medical, or sciences?” Kira asked, turning her full attention to the Trill, who smiled radiantly.

“Sciences, although I have been known to dabble with a dermal regenerator every so often.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize Starfleet allowed their officers to try multiple fields.”

The Trill laughed, and Kira’s stomach flipped again. “When you’ve got a symbiont, they let you try all kinds of things.”

Kira’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Trill had symbionts, who passed from host to host once their original host had died. They could live many lifetimes, and the way that their crown was passed down was through symbionts. Six symbionts ruled Trill jointly, out of a hundred symbionts possible. This meant this Trill was special. Quickly, Kira tried to recover without much noticeable reaction to the words.

“I suppose they would,” Kira said, trailing off awkwardly, before mentally hitting herself for sounding so stupid. “Are you enjoying DS9 so far?”

The Trill looked at her quizzically (Prophets, she really needed to learn her name), frowning in the most adorable way. “DS9?”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, feeling her cheeks flush. “Those of us on the station sometimes say DS9 instead of Deep Space Nine. It feels less formal.” She smiled weakly, hoping the beautiful Trill didn’t mind her horrible conversation skills.

Another smile lit up the Trill’s face, and Kira felt her own smile intensify as she looked at her. “That makes sense.” A pause, “What do you do on the station, Major?”

Kira tried to relax, but it felt like every nerve ending in her body was exploding at once. “I do a little bit of everything. Mostly I’m in charge of keeping track of the docking ships, but I go wherever I’m needed. Today I was down in Ore Processing, because the Cardassians trashed it and we’ve only just gotten around to that section of the ship.”

“Sounds like an ever changing job. Do you like it here?”  Trill asked, eyes boring into hers.

“It’s quite exciting, and every day is different. I don’t quite enjoy…” Kira couldn’t quite get herself to say royalty, and instead gestured to the rest of the room, which the Lieutenant responded to with a stunning smile, “But the rest of the things aboard I find lovely. It’s quite a luxury just to sleep in a bed.”

The Trill raised her eyebrows at this, “I’ve read some of the terrible things the Bajoran people had to go through, and I can hardly imagine it. The amount of strength you and your people have is laudable.”

Kira shrugged uncomfortably. “It was what we had to do,” she said quickly, trying to think of a way to change the subject. “What post have you just come from?”

“I was just on leave for a couple months – to finish my fifth PhD, and before that I was aboard a science vessel, looking at several anomalies within the Andorian Sector.”

Kira looked at her in surprise – _five_ PhD’s? “What did you do this PhD in?” she inquired, feeling rather stupid next to this intelligent woman.

“How nuclear physics are affected by temporal shifts, and flux,” she replied, waving a hand, “But I have to say that I enjoyed it far less than my third –”

Commander Benjamin Sisko appeared behind the tall woman suddenly, and Kira looked at him in shock, just noticing Odo coming up on their party behind him.

“I’m terribly sorry to intrude, Major, but I’m afraid I must take Lieutenant Dax to –” whatever Sisko said after that was a blur as Kira processed that the woman she’d just met was the Queen of the Trills – who was here, talking to her, as though she was just a normal person. Odo came beside her, and she was just able to hear him respond to the Commander with a short “His Majesty has just called Princess Kira and needs her imminently. Princess?”

Kira turned towards him, hoping her shock was kept off her face, and barely registered the raised eyebrow of the Trill – the Queen Trill? The Queen? – across from her, before Odo led her away from the party, and back to her quarters.

Well, _Prophets_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for updating before Christmas... However, I am still aware that I have this, and it's still niggling away in my brain!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Official meetings and agreements have to be made, but there's only one person that Nerys has on her mind.

Mentally, Nerys just wanted to stay in bed for today. She’d gone to bed late, having taken a call from her brother that lasted well until after the party was over, and then had woken up not three hours later in a cold sweat, convinced that she was back in the Occupation, watching over a hill until she could get a clear shot at the Cardassian who had been in the middle of ransacking a Bajoran farm, the young family held captive watching helplessly.

After gasping awake, she’d shot out of bed, falling in a pile on the floor as she tangled her feet in her sheets and hitting her head on the edge of the bed. Of course Cardassian architecture would be dangerous, even after they’d left. She’d been awake ever since, unable to sleep with the nightmare so clear and her head pounding. She sat up in bed, absently reaching up, but gasped as her finger tips touched a swollen egg shape just above her ear. She could - should, actually – go to the infirmary, but it would heal quickly, and she also knew that Doctor Bashir was on-call tonight, and she couldn’t handle hearing him chatter at her after such little sleep. Her eyes fell on the Dress across the room from her bed. Technically, she’d already met the Trill Queen, so she didn’t need to wear it today. Although they hadn’t technically been introduced as such… They had conversed, and it had been a delegate meeting, so… She didn’t need to wear it. She only hoped that Odo wouldn’t harrumph so loudly that she wouldn’t be able to get work done this morning when he saw her.

Her alarm chirped at her the time, and she reluctantly climbed out of bed, walking over to her wardrobe to pull out one of her standard uniforms. There was still lots to be done today, and though she hadn’t scheduled anything in the morning because she had to meet the Trill Queen when she got off the ship, that was no longer her priority, instead, she could go help out clearing the uridium ore refinery, and then maybe up to Ops for some of the afternoon.

Even though she wanted badly to see the Trill again, she had to keep reminding herself that she had met the Trill Queen and then told her that she needed to learn more about the Bajoran ranking. Nerys didn’t think she’d felt this stupid in ages. Sisko would probably keep the Trill busy for the next few days, so she could almost certainly avoid her until…

“Odo to the princess.”

Nerys tapped her communication badge, she could already tell that her headache wasn’t going to go away today.

“Kira here,” she said, emphasizing her family name more than she needed to.

“Princess, I wanted to let you know that the meeting with the Trill Queen has been moved from 1100 to 0800, and from Docking bay 4 to Conference room 2 because of an early arrival. You will still need to be there in your full formal attire.”

Nerys sighed, it was like he could read her thoughts. “Understood. Thank you Odo.”

“My pleasure. Odo out.”

It took about six petticoats, and what the Bajoran Tailor who had brought her the dress from Bajor called a “crinoline”, to fill out her giant dress, not to mention the random sashes that had to be arranged in just a certain way. The petticoats had a specific layering system as well, and changing them was important to denote which ceremony was taking place. This was all well and good, but damned if Nerys actually knew how it was supposed to be put on for today. Looking at the dress as it had been hung up, she slowly began taking it off of the form, pulling out pieces as she went, until the entire thing was strewn across her floor.

A gentle chime from her door made Nerys jump. The sound had been adjusted for her, but it still took most of what she had not to grab her phaser from its holster at the sound. For whatever reason, being in Ops with its sounds didn’t bother her, but her quarters were alien to her.

Taking three deep breaths, Nerys looked down at the dress, working not to get overwhelmed, and then herself to make sure she was clothed, before looking back at the door. “Come in.”

A young Bajoran woman, her red-brown hair tied into an intricate bun with several braids leading into it stood at the doorway, looking at Nerys before looking down at the mess on her floor.

“Oh Princess,” she said in slight despair, before walking inside the door and curtseying.

Kira instantly stiffened, reaching down into her empty holster for the phaser that she hadn’t had a chance to get out of the locked cabinet when Odo had called her.

“Who are you?” she asked aggressively, watching the girl closely. She appeared to be about 17 years old or so, shorter than herself, but not by much. Her posture was non-threatening, but she wasn’t wearing a militia uniform, nor did she have any identification on her.

“My name is Leeta, your highness,” the girl said quietly, staying where she had entered, “Constable Odo sent me to help you get dressed and learn about the traditions surrounding your ceremonial gown and sashes. I was supposed to meet you later this morning, but because everything has been pushed back, the Constable told me just to come straight to you after I got off of the transport.”

Kira tapped on her badge immediately. “Kira to Odo.”

“Odo.”

“I’ve got a girl in my quarters, says you sent her here. Goes by the name Leeta.” Kira said quickly, raising an eyebrow at the lack of a family name and watching the girl’s every move. The girl shrugged, but didn’t move, instead surveying the mess that Kira had made of her floor.

“Ah, yes. She’s here to help you figure out your dress. Knows more about it than most people. I’ve cleared her.”

Kira relaxed slightly. “Please let me know in advance next time you send someone to my quarters,” she said tightly to Odo through the comm badge.

“Of course, your highness,” Odo replied back, a slight humour to his voice, which Kira glared about. “Odo out.”

Kira turned to greet her young companion, taking in her leggings and tunic for the first time and noticing they were decorated with many of the religious symbols she had associated with visiting the Vedeks.

“So, you’re here to help with the dress?” Kira said, looking at her slightly uncomfortably as she let her body relax slightly.

“Yes,” Leeta said simply, “And you look like you need the help.”

Kira felt a laugh startle out of her, before she nodded. “I do.”

* * *

With Leeta’s help, she was able to get the dress on in the correct way in just under 10 minutes, although the sashes took a couple minutes extra because she apparently hadn’t folded them correctly the last few times she had put them away. Leeta had looked disapprovingly at the small hole that had been made the first day Kira wore the uniform, but said nothing of it. She had however, clucked loudly when Nerys ran a hand through her hair and declared it done.

“Princess, you must at least comb out your hair before you greet the diplomats,” she had said, and Kira had ignored.

Biding the young girl goodbye at the doors of her quarters, Kira began to walk down the hall in her monstrosity. There was certainly a particular way to walk in the dress, but Kira hadn’t figured out how to do it yet. Two Bajorans bowed their heads as she passed, and she nodded and smiled, but didn’t stop. What she really needed was some caffeine to help her get through the day.

The first turbolift was filled, so she waited for the second one, although almost everyone aboard had offered to get off. All of this, coupled with the fact that she had had to change into the dress had left her feeling more than slightly late, and she fought with embarrassment. It had not been her fault that she had not been told the information until nearly too late, and it was certainly not her fault that the turbolift had been busy.

Her stomach twisted and turned, and she wished that she had had time to eat something, anything, although with the slight nausea that threatened, she decided it was probably for the best that she didn’t.

Head held high, she exited the turbolift two corridors away from the conference room, desperately hoping that she could remember her lines, and everything that Reon and Pohl had told her yesterday. Leeta had offered to go through them with her, but she had declined, deciding that she could remember it herself.

Regretting that decision only slightly, Kira turned the final corner to make it to Conference room two. Odo stood outside the door, looking only slightly annoyed, which was what he normally looked like anyway, so Kira didn’t think much of it.

“Your Highness,” Odo said, extending his arm towards the door, and then as it opened with a soft _swish_ , she heard him start “Her Royal Highness, Princess Kira Nerys, of the planet Bajor, Duchess of Musilla, and Countess of Loran.”

* * *

Kira entered the conference room, noting that all had stood for her entrance, and that no one had sat at the head of the table yet. Commander Sisko, the Emissary, stood immediately to the left of the head of the table, while Kai Opaka – Bajor’s Spiritual leader – stood to the right. The Trill Queen, who had not yet been announced to her, sat at Sisko’s left. Seeing the Kai, Kira immediately bowed her head and sunk into a curtsey, letting the woman grip her ear gently.

“Kai Opaka,” Kira said quietly, not allowing her surprise to show.

“My child,” the Kai said, taking her hand off of Kira’s ear, and cupping her face gently as she straightened out of her curtsey. “Your path is a difficult one, but the prophets have seen and know you to be worthy.”

Kira’s eyes widened, the Vedek’s words from last night echoing in her head, before she bowed her head towards the Kai. Commander Sisko cleared his throat, but Kira ignored him for the moment, allowing the words to wash over her.

Kira raised her head, seeing the Kai smile as she did, and then faced the Starfleet officer.

“Emissary,” she said with an edge of steel to her voice, bowing her head in a way she hoped appeared regal, even if she felt ridiculous. She wished that she could have met the Kai earlier, before the politics could get in the way, without anyone watching, even though she knew that was childish. The Kai had much to do, and couldn’t spend it all on her. Squashing down the feeling, she waited for the final introduction, the Trill queen’s, to be made. It was Sisko’s responsibility as the Federation Diplomat aboard the station, as the Trill homeworld was part of the Federation’s Alliance. She caught sight of the Trill’s face as Kira glanced at Sisko. She looked captivated, an intense look of curiosity on her face even as she stood there calmly, hands clasped behind her back. Kira noticed that she too had been required to wear more traditional clothing – her tunic was richly purple, which brought out her blue eyes even more this morning, and she had a large scarf draped tastefully across her left shoulder, secured with an elaborate brocade made of a metal that Kira had never seen before. The Commander did not seem to notice the steel in her voice, turning towards the Queen calmly, and smiling.

“May I present Her Majesty, Queen Jadzia Dax, of the Symbiont Dax, Joint Ruler of the Planet Trill,” Sisko said, his voice carrying a hint of… _Something_ , as he spoke. Sisko was a mystery. He was reluctant to take his place as the Emissary, although the Prophets had declared him as such. His military files were difficult to get ahold of, although Kira had asked Pohl to send out some requests as quietly as he could. She didn’t want Sisko to know that she was snooping on his past, even if he clearly had done it for her. Snapping back to the present, Kira managed to pull her leg off the ground and behind her to curtsey, but the bending of her knee stopped short as she felt her head throb.

Hoping it had looked merely curt instead of the actual reason, Kira reached behind her to grab her chair, only to have a Bajoran pull it out for her. She smiled at the boy, and then turned back to the meeting, sitting down in the specific way that wouldn’t have her crinoline pop up (she’d learned that the hard way).

The rest of the table sat down. Kira saw Odo surreptitiously lean against the wall in the corner. He nodded slightly to her, and she took a deep breath.

“Welcome to Deep Space Nine. This station is held jointly between an agreement between the United Federation of Planets, and Bajor. I am here representing King Reon, lord of Kendra and Duke of Poli, the King of Bajor. May the Prophets smile upon our meeting, that we may find peace and understanding between our peoples, despite the differences and challenges.”

The Trill Queen smiled at her, and Kira’s stomach flipped again, and before she knew it, the Kai was blessing their meeting, and her brain was swimming in the conversation – compromises and considerations, celebrations and culture and vacations, and throughout it all, the Trill Queen’s smile played at her lips, and she could hardly look away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side Note - crinolines are a thing that I thought the word sounded relatively Bajoran. They're those massive hoop things that went under Victorian dresses that made them into giant circles and also were ridiculously hard to walk in and also sit down in and that was probably the point. Also Leeta! 
> 
> Also also, hello I have returned. Finally. It's only been 6 months. I hope that I will get to work on this more this summer, because I have such plans and I love it so much, but we'll see. Also, I cracked my laptop screen (among other crazy terrible things that happened last Monday), and I have no idea if I'm going to repair this one or get a new one, and if I do get a new one when that will be and eVERYTHING IS UP IN THE AIR I'M SO CONFUSED (follow my tumblr for too many personal updates if you'd like).

**Author's Note:**

> An age and a half ago I was reading TOS, and then AOS Royalty AUs and was severely disappointed there were no DS9 ones... even Garashir. So I wanted to write my own. It only took six months to happen. It's also probably going to be updated fairly regularly because I'm trying to post something I've written every day leading up to Christmas, and this is the one on my mind a lot.


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